Driving Test practice in VR

18 comments

1. Unless you get instruction from a school or private teacher who knows the test requirements your chances of passing are extremely low because you won’t know what the test examiner is looking for during the driving test. Playing F1 on your PC isn’t going to do it.

2. If you can learn the correct procedures for getting in the car, things you do when driving etc, go for it.

3. If you already have so many years of driving experience and has the means to do an actual driving practice, then why do you need VR?

4. I guess you could learn basic procedures and traffic laws but not the biting point of a manual transmission, or the feel of speed and cornering etc. learning how to feel a car is an essential part of controlling it safely. Then there’s other motorists, checking mirrors, pedestrians, random shite that occurs in the real world.

5. Getting your J-license has never been about ones ability to drive a car, rather it is about ones ability to pass the test. You don’t need to learn how to drive. Your 7 years experience is enough. You need to learn how to pass the test.

6. Even cheaper option, just go to your closest game center and practice on these Initial D and Mario Kart arcade machine.

7. Why do you need this if you already have 7 years of driving experience?

8. Your physical experience of driving in US will have given you the necessary motor skills/coordination sufficient for driving. VR headsets have less peripheral view than real life. A driving game won’t give you the other skills necessary for safe driving in Japan (j road rules, kids running out from behind cars, anticipating idiots running red lights while you’re about to turn right across traffic etc).

9. AFAIK you are free to take the full exam whenever you want, but you WILL NOT pass it without instruction from a driving school.

   Playing Assetto Corsa isn’t going to prepare you to pass a driving test. It will make you a better driver, though…

10. Not sure how different it is, as I guess you’ll be getting it from scratch, but I’ll give my experience. I changed my (still valid) US license to a Japanese one, and had to take a 15 minute driving test. I hadn’t actually driven a car in Japan at that point, but it was extraordinarily easy, and there were only two major areas I was sure to be conscious of:

    Before you start driving:

    Check under the car before you get in. I just walked around it while kinda looking under. Get in and make sure the mirrors are adjusted properly.Put on seat belt. Make sure instructor has his on. Start the car.

    Obstacle:

    There is an obstacle at some point in the course blocking your lane. You need to signal to get into the oncoming lane (right lane), and then signal AGAIN when you pull back into the forward moving lane (left lane).

    Other than this just be confident, don’t hit anything, and stop before the white lines at stoplights and stop signs.

11. Why pay all the money for that equipment when you can just visualize yourself driving the course in your head and get the same results?

12. The test has nothing to do with your capability of driving. It tests if you are capable of passing actually their test and pleasing the instructor. Each instructor looks at things differently. VR and borrowing a friends car will offer no help.

    Just hire an instructor to do 2-3 private lessons. Fail the first time, then go again.

    Good luck.

13. Even if you dont go to a 自動車学校 the test center is going to be asking for documents indicating your practice hours on a 教習所…which the instructor stamps off on and gives to you to pass to the examiner. They’re not going to care about your driving experience or if you’ve practiced in a friends car. You’re starting from scratch like all the other people lining up in there.

    If you have the time off like you say you do then go to a 教習所 now and don’t bother with the games.

14. doing the test from scratch is a long and arduous one, from an excerpt copied online you will go through the following:

    1. **適性検査 health check; vision etc**
    2. **仮免許の学科試験と技能試験を受験 learner’s temp license written and driving test**
    3. **仮免許証の交付（6ヵ月間有効）issuance of temp license (6 mo validity)**
    4. **路上練習（5回）real world driving practice**
    5. **本免許の学科試験と技能試験を受験 full license written and driving test**
    6. **取得時講習を受講（教習）road safety video course**
    7. **運転免許証を交付 issuance of full license**

    ​

    **仮免許の学科試験と技能試験を受験 learner’s temp license written and driving test**

    for the driving test, you will be driving the testing center course on S-curve, Crank and Railroad crossing

    **仮免許証の交付（6ヵ月間有効）issuance of temp license (6 mo validity)**

    this license lets you drive on actual roads with a companion (with his or her license valid over 3y)

    **路上練習（5回）real world driving practice 5x 2h ea**

    you must log 10hrs of practice with said companion on actual roads

    **本免許の学科試験と技能試験を受験 full license written and driving test**

    tested either in testing course or actual road surrounding the test center with a police officer. if on a testing course, they will also test reverse parking and parallel parking in addition to temp license test course

    **取得時講習を受講（教習）road safety video course**

    at this point you have passed the test and just have to watch

    ​

    if you are interested I can point you to youtube videos I have collected for some of these steps

    disclaimer: I did not go through this process (I converted mine), above is only collected from research and talking with driving instructors at samezu

15. I learned how to drive playing Gran Turismo on PlayStation. Granted it was more a lesson on how cars behave at speed, but the fundamentals of the physics held true, and it meant that a decade later I was super comfortable driving a real car. Car sims are so much more advanced these days and I’d say it’s a great way of getting the feel of being behind the wheel again.

    When you’re in a real car focus on the real world hazards and the requirements for the test and I’m sure you’ll do fine if you’re a capable and attentive driver.

    And don’t forget to throw on some racing sims – they genuinely help if you ever get out on a real race track 🙂

16. No matter what the game is It’s not the same as real practice.

17. Yeah real talk.. When I was in my home country, I wanted to join the marines.. I told my dumbass recruiter I didn’t need to go to boot camp because I had over 5000 hours logged in Counter Strike, plus I was basically already a tactical genius from playing command and conquer as a child. He denied my request, so I came to Japan to teach English. Now I’m just an expert on politics and all life matters (will help when I run for office in the future)

18. i also have a sim rig in VR..also just got my license last december so here are my thoughts..
    -if you wanted the cheap route..go for “ippatsu shiken” route
    (written exam(temp license)→driving exam(temp license)→written exam(actual license)→driving exam(actual license)), all of these are done on the local license center(fuchu, samezu etc if youre in Tokyo)
    but prepare to have 5 or more days to shave off your 年休 and the heart to take the exam again(ippatsu shiken test for temp license passing rate is said to be 10-20%)

    -driving skill comes 2nd, the officer focuses on your safety checks(3-point,5-point check etc.)

    -if you pass the temp license driving test, you are required to drive at least 5 3hr. sessions with an instructor or someone who has license for 3years or more..i think this is the hard part if you wont do the school route since you need to convince a friend that has license to sit beside you while practicing.